Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs ExaGrid EX Series comparison

Dell Technologies and ExaGrid are both solutions in the Deduplication Software category. Dell Technologies is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.4, while ExaGrid is ranked #8 with an average rating of 9.0. Dell Technologies holds a 12.7% mindshare in DS, compared to ExaGrid’s 6.4% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of ExaGrid users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Read 18 Dell PowerProtect Data Manager reviews

6,740 Views
2,494 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

ExaGrid EX Series

Read 7 ExaGrid EX Series reviews

1,695 Views
1,661 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

ExaGrid EX Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

ExaGrid EX Series and Dell PowerProtect Data Manager are in the competitive arena of data backup and recovery solutions. Dell appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set, although ExaGrid offers pricing benefits.

Features: ExaGrid EX Series features advanced deduplication, unique storage architecture, and efficient scalability. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager offers robust integration with VMware, advanced data protection capabilities, and strong cloud platform integration.

Room for Improvement: ExaGrid could enhance integration flexibility, expand cloud capabilities, and improve recovery speeds for older backups. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager may reduce complexity, improve ease of management, and streamline initial setup processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ExaGrid focuses on straightforward deployment with plug-and-play appliances and responsive support. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager offers seamless infrastructure integration and detailed support, though its complexity may challenge users.

Pricing and ROI: ExaGrid typically presents lower setup costs and strong ROI due to reduced storage needs and scalability, serving cost-sensitive buyers. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, despite higher upfront investment, delivers ROI through comprehensive features and data protection capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs. ExaGrid EX Series Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs. ExaGrid EX Series

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Ranking in Deduplication Software

6th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Backup and Recovery (11th)

ExaGrid EX Series

Ranking in Deduplication Software

8th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Deduplication Software category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is 12.7%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExaGrid EX Series is 6.4%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Deduplication Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager	12.7%
ExaGrid EX Series	6.4%
Other	80.9%

Deduplication Software

Featured Reviews

MinaMagdy1

Senior System Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

Comprehensive integration and user-friendly dashboard enhance data protection workflows

PowerProtect Data Manager lacks the tape-out functionality, which is important for organizations relying on it for offsite backup. While PowerProtect Data Manager offers a workaround, it's not always accepted, notably by sectors like banking. Additionally, I would like PowerProtect Data Manager to provide microservices and container backup for modern applications.

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Daniel Gillber

Information Technology advisor at Lotus Consulting

Improvements in data storage efficiency and customer support experience

ExaGrid EX Series and Veeam was easy to set up, and it worked seamlessly. It was very simple to use. We rarely needed to touch the ExaGrid boxes, except for upgrades. With the systems engineer from ExaGrid, and with our common knowledge of backup software, it was very easy to use. The performance was good, the interface was good, and the GUI was good. When ExaGrid introduced the air gapped feature, it was almost complete. Almost every hardware vendor has an air gapped feature, but they were significantly ahead of other vendors. The air gapped and immutable storage are very nice features. The price compared to other competitors was good with better features. It is not a cheap product, but compared to the features, it is a good competitor.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The management part of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager has improved significantly."

"It's the perfect solution for virtual and container directives. The data reduction feature works well, and we haven't had any issues."

"The solution adequately handles data storage."

"The use of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager certainly improves the speed of my data recovery efforts compared to the previous Dell products because it is easier to use and much faster; the compression and deduplication are also good, which helps in recovery."

"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager helps to reduce the amount of data being transferred and stored."

"The deduplication is the most valuable feature because it helps to control the overhead."

"I would say flexibility is the most important feature of the product. The performance and speed are the best on the market."

"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Manager pros

"The most valuable features of the solution are deduplication and landing zone."

"ExaGrid EX Series and Veeam was easy to set up, and it worked seamlessly."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use and data deduplication. It's extremely easy to use and does a very good job of data deduplication and compression."

"The solution easily integrates with the backup targets, such as Veeam."

"It is a solid and a quite simple solution, which is a good combination. The customers like the simplicity and its scale-out capacity. They like the support pricing, and even the extension capacity pricing, a fixed price, which the executive is offering in Czech market."

"One of the main features is the landing zone, it is a particular space where the information is not duplicated."

"The tool has improved backup and recovery times. One of the key features contributing to this improvement is the landing zone and deduplication retention zone. When data is in the landing zone, the process is fast, ensuring smooth backup and recovery operations at high speeds. However, the process becomes slower for long-term backups moved to the retention zone due to fragmentation. So, if the data is older than a few days, the speed may be limited, especially for non-deduplicated data in the landing zone."

Cons

"PowerProtect Data Manager is missing a feature for takeout, which means I cannot store backup data off-site within the software. This is a limitation for organizations that require off-site solutions."

"There is always room for improvement. The compression ratio should be improved as well as the efficiency."

"They should include a feature similar to S3 bucket."

"The Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Manager reports could improve. There should be different kinds of reports on failures, such as dashboards that we can submit to top management or auditors."

"You need to use additional software to back up entire environments. It will be good if they could support entire tape libraries."

"The tool's scalability has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."

"PPDM requires further development. It is primarily integrated with DevOps systems."

"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager should add support for Hyper-V and Nutanix VMs, as well as Kubernetes. Additionally, they should support tape library backup capabilities."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Manager cons

"I would like for them to develop direct cloud integration with a third-party cloud. Direct integration with AWS and other cloud providers."

"The tool reduces storage footprint. However, clients are now storing data for longer durations with increasing requirements to retain backups for longer periods, particularly as a defense against ransomware attacks. As a result, the retention zone with duplicated data is experiencing more demand, leading to space constraints. This necessitates using higher-end, more expensive models to address the issue."

"The product's documentation can be made more precise."

"The solution could improve by switching to a flash-type solution rather than the spinning drives that they currently use. However, we have not had any failure with the spinning drives. The flash-type drives are more up-to-date and are something that is in their roadmap."

"When speaking about a scale-out, you want to have better equipment. You cannot just add a disc to the foreign equipment. You have to buy another one and put it together, like parallel."

"The one place where we are sometimes losing the opportunity with ExaGrid is that a few customers still require a fiber channel connectivity, which is not always possible."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is not an expensive solution."

"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."

"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Manager is reasonable."

"We offer monthly or yearly subscriptions. The price could be cheaper."

"The solution is not less expensive than competitors but pricing deals are available."

"The product is offered at a very competitive price in the market."

"The licensing costs and pricing model are based on capacity and the license is easy to upgrade."

"The current agreement has 21 terabytes of free space and it cost approximately $35,000."

"My company had to pay 1,60,000 EUR for the system we use, and the payment was made just once for the system and five years of full support."

"In comparison to other solutions, it's affordable. They're all too expensive."

"The previous solutions I have used both included the Backup Software and the Appliance making it hard to compare to this solution. However, overall the solution is reasonably priced for the features you receive. ExaGrid EX Series is priced better than HP, Dell, and possibly Commvault which I have compared in the past."

"I rate ExaGrid EX Series' pricing eight to nine out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Energy/Utilities Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	8

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?

One notable feature is its robust backup support for Kubernetes and container environments. Additionally, PPDM stands out for its ease of deployment and management compared to other backup solution...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?

I think the license for Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is the same as other backup software.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?

Regarding data recovery improvements in Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, there are challenges with data sets larger than one terabyte that are not related to VM. While VM recovery functions adequate...

See all answers

What do you like most about ExaGrid EX Series?

The tool has improved backup and recovery times. One of the key features contributing to this improvement is the landing zone and deduplication retention zone. When data is in the landing zone, the...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExaGrid EX Series?

I rate ExaGrid EX Series' pricing eight to nine out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ExaGrid EX Series?

Everything can always be better, so I would give it a nine.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell Avamar vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 26% of the time

Dell NetWorker vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 13% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 10% of the time

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 8% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 4% of the time

More Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Competitors

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs ExaGrid EX Series

Compared 39% of the time

HPE StoreOnce vs ExaGrid EX Series

Compared 19% of the time

Quantum DXi Series vs ExaGrid EX Series

Compared 16% of the time

Veritas NetBackup Appliance vs ExaGrid EX Series

Compared 8% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs ExaGrid EX Series

Compared 6% of the time

More ExaGrid EX Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

January 2026

Download Dell PowerProtect Data Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

ExaGrid EX Series

January 2026

Download ExaGrid EX Series product report

Also Known As

PowerProtect, Dell EMC PowerProtect

EX Series

Overview

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager provides efficient backup and recovery for hybrid and multicloud environments. It consolidates VMware, Kubernetes, database, and file system protection through a singular interface.

PowerProtect Data Manager is a software-defined platform that integrates modern backup and recovery capabilities, focusing on enhancing performance metrics like RPO and RTO. It supports operations through automated discovery, policy-driven protection, and intelligent analytics while offering cloud mobility and robust cyber recovery mechanisms. Its architecture is designed to address complex data management needs while providing flexibility, backup efficiency, and capacity management. With capabilities spanning on-premise and cloud options, it delivers a comprehensive approach for data protection.

What key features make Dell PowerProtect Data Manager stand out?

High Deduplication: Optimizes storage by reducing data footprint.
Kubernetes Support: Ensures seamless integration with containerized environments.
Data Domain Integration: Enhances recovery metrics and performance.
Advanced Access Controls: Strengthens security measures.
Scalable Architecture: Adapts to growing enterprise needs.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Ease of Deployment: Simplifies initial setup and configuration processes.
User-Friendly Interface: Facilitates an intuitive user experience.
Flexibility in Deployment: Supports both cloud and on-premise environments.
Efficient Data Reduction: Saves storage costs and optimizes resources.
Secure Data Management: Provides peace of mind with robust security features.

Organizations in telecom and enterprise sectors employ Dell PowerProtect Data Manager for backing up and securing data in virtual and cloud-native environments. It supports continuous data protection for VMware and Kubernetes and plays a crucial role in ensuring container stability in platforms like OpenShift. Its native application integrations and disaster recovery through incremental backups make it suitable for larger businesses seeking a reliable data management partner.

Dell Technologies

The ExaGrid EX Series hyper-converged secondary storage for backup product line consists of eight appliance models. Each appliance is sized for a full backup and for long-term retention. Any ExaGrid appliance can be mixed and matched in the same scale-out system with any other size or age appliance, allowing customers to buy what they need as they need it. This pay-as-you-grow model allows up to 25 appliances in a single scale-out system.

ExaGrid

Sample Customers

National Bank of Greece, USC Australia, PCS Publishing, Dell Digital IT, Rushmore Electric, Melanson Health, Arrow Electronics

NCI Group, North Attleborough Public School, North Kingstown School Department, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Douglas Elliman, Rathbone Brothers PLC, Rio Hondo College, Ruder Finn, Sarah Lawrence College

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs. ExaGrid EX Series

December 2025

Free Report: Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs. ExaGrid EX Series

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